After Dusk • Peter Hayes 2

Silence

Piper lay flat on her side of the bed, staring up at the ceiling while Peter sat in a chair to the side of the room.

When he wanted to keep his distance he had indeed meant just that.

He wanted to stay away from her and that's just what he was doing. In the past couple of days since he'd moved in, during the silence he'd thought about what she'd said. It was all a lie, it hadn't been real to her. That night he had convinced himself that she was only saying that to hurt him, to get him to stop trying with her.

He was certain of that when he'd finally managed to fall asleep that night.

However, the next few days up until now had differed. He slowly started to believe that she wasn't just trying to hurt him, maybe she was telling the truth.

It would make sense he'd thought, why would someone like Piper Canning who had her whole damn life ahead of her, want someone like him, Peter Hayes the heartless beast who only thought about self preservation. Perhaps he was a goal to her, a medal. She could tame the beast.

And she had.

Peter had gone soft and he knew it but no longer would he be that way.

Piper had made her feelings clear and so he had no reason to care about anything, she had been the only thing he cared about, his life was founded to keep her safe but now, now he knew she didn't want his protection nor his love.

So he'd go back to how it was.

He'd be heartless and this time, he'd stay that way.

Pipers POV;

My foot tapped on the bed as I hummed a song in my head. Never Say Never, it had been Wrens favourite song.

I'd heard it so many times the words stayed firmly in my head even now.

I will be your guardian when all is crumbling, I'll steady your hand, those lyrics I muttered quietly while I thought of him. He had been my guardian. He had kept me safe even to his last breath.

God I missed him, I needed him right now.

Peter needed him too, as much as he didn't deserve my admission of it.

He'd know what to do, he'd set us both straight. He'd tell me not to be so damn stubborn and Peter to stop being such an arse.

"Can you not do that?" Peter's deep voice snapped me out of my daze.

Forcing my eyes to open, which had most definitely been a struggled I pulled myself onto my side to look his way, he sat there with a book which looked rather ominous, not even looking my way.

"What am I doing to annoy you this time?" I sat up this time, "breathing?" I shook my head and let out a rather obnoxious sigh as I did.

"As annoying as you breathing is, it's that humming, the muttering" he shook his head, fingers gripping the book tighter, "it really is off putting" he still didn't meet my eyes, coward.

I did have to shower, I just intended on lying there peacefully a little longer.

Not that I can expect peace when sharing a room with Peter Hayes.

Walking around I stopped in front of his seat, waiting for him to lift his head, which he eventually did, slamming the book down in an attempt to intimidate me.

"Does my humming annoy you?" An innocent smile found my lips.

"You think it wouldn't?" A cold laugh left his lips.